Sheet material handling and treating apparatus



March 1968 MATAlCHl TAJlMA ET AL 3,373,755

SHEET MATERIAL HANDLING AND TREATING APPARATUS Filed June 24, 1966 INVENTORS MATAICHI TAJIMA KllCHlRO SAKAMOTO ilnited States Patent Qflfice 3,373,755 SHEET MATERIAL HANDLING AND TREATING APPARATUS Mataichi Tajima and Kiichiro Sakamoto, Kanagawa, Ja-

pan, assignors to Fuji Shashin Film Kabushiki Kaisha, Kanagawa, Japan Filed June 24, 1966, Ser. No. 560,176 Claims priority, application Japan, June 24, 1965 40/ 37,298 4 Claims. (Cl. 134134) This invention relates to an apparatus for handling sheet material so that the entire surface may be treated without scratching.

There are many kinds of operations which involve introducing sheet material into a tank, for example, plate making in printing; etching work in nameplate making or printed circuit making; dyeing of articles; treatment of photosensitive materials, and so on.

In the prior art, the process of introducing the sheet material into the treating tank and taking it out, after finishing the necessary treatment, has been done by means of a reciprocally moving sheet hanging member. Thus, is has not been possible to prevent scratching of a part of the sheet material.

It is an object of the invention to overcome the problem mentioned above. The gist of this invention is to move very easily a piece of sheet material into the treating tank and out of it, after predetermined treating times.

The invention is described with reference to the accompanying drawing, which illustrates preferred embodiments thereof.

In the drawing:

Figures 1 and 2 show two embodiments of this invention, each in a sectional elevation.

In the drawing, the numeral 1 is a treating tank; the numeral 2 is a gate for moving the sheet material in and out of said tank; numeral 3, 3 are rolls for moving the sheet material in and out of the tank; numeral 4 is a butting member; and numeral 5 is a resilient member disposed between said butting member and the bottom wall of the tank.

This invention is so constructed that in operation the sheet material is carried into the tank by rotating the resilient rolls 3, 3' in the direction of arrows as shown in FIG. 1, until the sheet is set at the position shown in FIG. 1. At this position of the sheet material, the lower end is on the butting member 4 and the top end is supported in the V or nip of the rolls, as shown, but the top end is not engaged by the rolls, so the rolls may run idly without advancing the sheet material. That is, the sheet material may be maintained at the position shown without stopping the rolls.

After treatment is finished, the sheet material is pushed by the member 4, so that it reaches a point where it is engaged between the rolls, rotating in the opposite direction, and thus taken out of the bath. Any suitable means for actuating butting member 4 may be employed. For example, an arm or lever, extending outside of the tank may be actuated manually or mechanically to move butting member 4 in an upward, vertical direction, after treatment is finished and rotation of the rolls has been reversed.

Member 4 is supported by the resilient member 5, so

that the apparatus may be fit for several dimensions of the sheet materials.

Suitable drive means, not shown, are provided to move said rolls in a forward or reverse direction as desired. Any standard drive motor with forward and reverse gear means for cooperation with the shafts of the rollers is satisfactory. When operated in the forward direction, as shown in 7 FIG. 1, the rolls will engage the leading edge of a piece of 3,373,755 Patented Mar. 19, 1968 sheet material inserted in the nip of the rolls, advance the sheet into the tank and then disengage the sheet so that its entire surface is free to receive the desired treatment.

When treatment is completed, the butting member 4 is moved in an upward, vertical direction, against the leading edge of the sheet, to cause the trailing edge to contact rolls 3 and 3'. Rotation of the rolls is reversed, the trailing edge is engaged and the sheet thereby withdrawn from the tank.

The invention functions as mentioned above, so that the sheet material may be treated without scratching or introducing other flaws into the surface, and, without preventing a portion of the surface of the sheet from being treated.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2, this invention may be made more effective by mounting a treating fluid supply and drain conduit 9, overflow receiving element 7 and overflow drain 8 on the tank for fluid changing or circulation.

The sheet material treated may include, for example, a sheet of photographic material mounted in a suitable frame, which is passed between the rollers into the tank.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for handling sheet material comprising:

a tank,

a gate through which a piece of sheet material may be introduced into said tank,

a pair of feed rolls which, upon rotation in a forward direction (1) engage the leading edge of said piece of sheet material, as said sheet material is introduced through said gate, (2) advance said sheet material into said tank, and (3) disengage said sheet material in said tank,

a butting member in said tank adjacent to the leading edge of said sheet material when said sheet material is in said tank and is disengaged from said feed rolls,

means for moving said butting member against the leading edge of said sheet material to move the trailing edge of said sheet material into contact with said feed rolls, and

means for rotating said feed rolls in a reverse direction to engage said trailing edge and withdraw said sheet material from said tank.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a resilient support for said butting means.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said tank is arranged to receive said sheet material in a substantially vertical attitude, said gate and said feed rolls are adjacent the upper end of said tank, said leading edge of said sheet material rests against said butting member when said sheet material is in said tank and is disengaged from said feed rolls and said butting member is movable in an upward, vertical direction to move said trailing edge of said sheet material into engagement with said reverse rotating feed rolls for withdrawal from said tank.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising means for admitting and withdrawing fluid to and from said tank for treating said sheet material while in said tank.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 844,513 2/ 1907 Gill 1184 4 XR 3,273,572 9/1966 Schwarze et al. 134-134 XR FOREIGN PATENTS 646,612 6/ 1937 Germany.

CHARLES A. WILLMUTH, Primary Examiner. ROBERT L. BLEUTGE, Examiner. 

1. AN APPARATUS FOR HANDLING SHEET MATERIAL COMPRISING: A TANK, A GATE THROUGH WHICH A PIECE OF SHEET MATERIAL MAY BE INTRODUCED INTO SAID TANK, A PAIR OF FEED ROLLS WHICH, UPON ROTATION IN A FORWARD DIRECTION (1) ENGAGE THE LEADING EDGE OF SAID PIECE OF SHEET MATERIAL, AS SAID SHEET MATERIAL IS INTRODUCED THROUGH SAID GATE, (2) ADVANCE SAID SHEET MATERIAL INTO SAID TANK, AND (3) DISENGAGE SAID SHEET MATERIAL IN SAID TANK, A BUTTING MEMBER IN SAID TANK ADJACENT TO THE LEADING EDGE OF SAID SHEET MATERIAL WHEN SAID SHEET MATERIAL IS IN SAID TANK AND IS DISENGAGED FROM SAID FEED ROLLS, MEANS FOR MOVING SAID BUTTING MEMBER AGAINST THE LEADING EDGE OF SAID SHEET MATERIAL TO MOVE THE TRAILING EDGE OF SAID SHEET MATERIAL INTO CONTACT WITH SAID FEED ROLLS, AND 